Thus passes the ‘old' America

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The America many of us have known, loved and respected passed away Nov. 6, 2012. A new America has emerged, bearing no resemblance to the original. Alas, America went peacefully – hardly a whimper. Since history is a tale of events told by the winners, America's demise will not be mentioned in the news or history books.

Sadly, too, America's passing will be overlooked by the rest of the free world – embroiled as its members are in economic turmoil, disturbing demographic trends and outbreaks of violence. With America's passing, a more important concern will eventually emerge – international security. The threat will appear on two fronts – economic and military. A powerful and prosperous American economy has been, and still is, the world's best hope for security, buttressed by America's military capability which provides the majority of the resources needed for the defense of the free world. The path upon which the new America has now embarked poses a serious threat to both fronts.

Blessed by a fortunate geography and a succession of world events in which American courage in the face of high risk enabled much of the world – both free and oppressed – to prosper, America's shining example and its role in world events is not disputed. The new America, however, is no longer capable of playing a similar role. The new America is economically unsustainable, and it no longer seeks to lead the fight against oppression or military threat.

While America's future role in world affairs may be simply speculation, a claim that the new America bears no resemblance to the original is easily supported by evidence. The evidence is all around us – hiding in plain sight. As Exhibit 1, one must acknowledge the emergence of a new “government class” – a class so extensive, powerful and intrusive that, to many, our government is now a government of the people, by the government, for the government. The new government class is impervious to business cycles, and is covered by a security blanket at taxpayer expense that defies rational fiscal policy, and its presence is felt in every aspect of our daily lives. This class poses a threat that dwarfs that of the supposed rich-versus-poor divide.

As Exhibit 2, one need only note the surely fatal fiscal policy promoted by the government that spends, annually, more than $1 trillion more than it receives, and which has accumulated more than $16 trillion in debt owed to others.

As Exhibit 3, our historic morality, reason, self-reliance and our respect for the traditional family and for religion – key ingredients in the growth of America and its prosperity – have been subordinated to a de-facto faith and reliance on government regulations and entitlements, designed, as we are told, to achieve a more equal economic and social society.

The cause of America's death is undoubtedly suicide, with self-inflicted fatal wounds caused by an education system that does not support the principles upon which the country was founded, or reinforce the story of America's evolution, or articulate the benefits of our economic system, or explain our system of government at the national, state, or local level. It has also failed to produce, for a large proportion of the students, thinking skills necessary for self-reliance or achievement in our society. As with any system infrastructure, failure to continually reinforce the American story leads, inevitably, to its decline, decay and destruction.

To be fair, many will dismiss all of the above as simply sour grapes and if, indeed, there is a “new” America, it is, or will be, superior to the original. The “more perfect union” will be a product of the government's efforts in response to changing demographics, the global economy, and the need to redistribute society's income and wealth to mitigate the perceived “unfair” results produced by an economic system that is perceived as rigged against the interests of the people. History has shown, however, that efforts to legislate, or force, social or economic equality is only accomplished at the expense of liberty.

Is it possible to resurrect America? To counter the effects of our failing educational institutions, we must re-focus the “education” discussion on the content of instruction. Funding and teacher evaluation policies are important, but irrelevant if the content does not provide the needed skills and knowledge.

To prevent the inevitable fatal effects of our current fiscal policies, we must elect only those whom we can reasonably believe will be good stewards of the country's resources – a seemingly obvious requirement, but not evidenced by those currently in charge.

Further, we cannot let the myriad government regulations be the proxy for our individual or collective morality in our lives. Despite the demographic changes, we must not let political correctness be the controlling force in policy decisions.

Lastly, we must have faith and believe in the original America – we are all responsible for its success and failure.

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